Question

What were the navigation acts of 1651

Answer 1

In essence, foreign ships delivering commercial goods to and from UK ports, including the colonies, were forbidden under the Acts of Trade and Navigation. They guaranteed jobs for crew members from the UK and its colonies, granted the merchant fleet a monopoly that allowed it to expand, encouraged shipbuilding and development throughout the Empire, and laid the groundwork for the rapid growth of the Royal Navy. The legislation also boosted manufacturing and industry, resulting in the creation of more stable jobs both at home and in the colonies. Overall, the Acts were created to safeguard Empire commerce and employees and to stop the importation of low-cost commodities produced by uncontrolled foreign companies and conveyed by unregulated ships. The only losers were our competitors, many of whom continued to use slave labor in order to lower manufacturing costs and boost profitability while also excluding them from many of the completed items and raw materials that they were required to purchase and have transported by Empire ships. Because their commercial vessels could fly the Red Ensign, giving them access to commercial possibilities and the protection of the Royal Navy, the New England colonies were pleased to comply with the Navigation Acts, so long as they were not too rigidly enforced. The gentlemen of commerce and professions in the colonies started considering revolt when Grenville decided to severely enforce the Navigation Acts in 1763 in order to create income.